Former Kaizer Chiefs winger Mandla Masango says the country should rally behind Bafana Bafana and stop bashing them ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Coach Hugo Broos named a 50-member preliminary squad last week and will still trim it down to 23-27 before the end of this month.
While football in the country is arguably the most loved sport, it is lagging internationally, especially when it comes to Bafana.
They did not qualify for the AFCON in Cameroon last year, despite having reached the quarter-finals in the 2019 edition in Egypt.
Even then though, they reached the knockout stages after finishing third in their group, being one of the four best third teams after CAF increased the participating teams from 16 to 24.
Masango has an idea of what is like to represent Bafana at the AFCON, as he was part of Shakes Mashaba’s 2015 squad in Equatorial Guinea, finishing at the bottom of Group C. They lost once and drew the other games.
“It is not easy to play these African countries,” said Masango, who scored a stunning goal against Ghana when Bafana lost 2-1 in Mongomo in the group stages in that 2015 edition.
“But this time around I think we stand a good chance because Mamelodi Sundowns is doing well in the continent.”
Sundowns have been providing the core group in the national team in Broos’ latest squads, and their players are used to topflight football on the continent, having recently won the African Football League against Wydad Casablanca.
They are also top of their CAF Champions League group, having defeated Egyptian side Pyramids a few days ago.
“They are very competitive and have players who have experience, and they are competing to win games,” added Masango.
“So, we just need to give them support and be positive. You guys, as journalists, you must write good stories about them, and give them hope that they can also take inspiration from the Springboks.
“If we look at the Springboks, it is always about positive vibes, so I think we need to draw inspiration from that and not only bash, bash, bash.
“Because at the end of the day, we are all humans, we have feelings, and no one is rock. So, we just need to encourage the guys and give them the support.”
Bafana will open the competition in Ivory Coast next month with a Group E match against Mali on 16 January at Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo.
